


From Castle Town to Ordon

by I_Only_Have_Trash



Series: Wild's Adventures with the Links [3]
Category: Linked Universe - Fandom
Genre: First couple chapters may be a bit slow, Gen, How do you even write horses, I'm sorry for not talking about epona much, Poe!Wild, Talking About Scars, Telma is so sweet I love her so much, We love some good tired!Wild, Wild (Linked Universe)-centric, Wild knows, Will there be angst? only time shall tell, hear me out, in bolson voice: get a load of young money bags over here, oof that memory was brief, probs yeah, we can't be sure can we?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:07:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25552534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_Only_Have_Trash/pseuds/I_Only_Have_Trash
Summary: Wild's rich, in both materials and secrets. The gang screws around and Wild really doesn't like cities.
Relationships: Sky & Wild (Linked Universe), Warriors & Wild (Linked Universe)
Series: Wild's Adventures with the Links [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1820317
Comments: 78
Kudos: 586
Collections: The Three Angstketeers





	1. Steel Stomachs and Diamond Pockets

**Author's Note:**

> I'm struggling. I can't wait to post this chapter so I don't have to deal with it. Why did I have to learn how to read and write.
> 
> Also, I've been writing up other drabbles for different works in this series at the same time so that's fun.

Being teleported apparently wasn't supposed to feel good. It happened back when they went to Sky's era too. Everyone, even Epona, was sick from the movement between time, all except for Wind and Wild. Wind found it a good opportunity to call the others "Old men like Time". But when Wild showed he was unaffected by the shift, Wind was confused.

Supposing it was just a first time thing, He'd only call out the newbie's immunity on his second shift.

"Okay, what's up with you!" He threw his hands in the air out of frustration. "How come you're not sick like them? Legend and Sky's  _ flown _ before and they're still all messed up by the portal. So what makes you special?"

Wild listened while he wandered around their new location. Brick bridge, open fields.  _ Is this boy sad he can't make fun of all his elders? _ He chortled at the thought. It was evening. Why did this place feel so sad?

"Wait a minute, Wild, let us catch our breaths," Twilight groaned. They looked so pale, Four looked green even.  _ Did it really make them that nauseous? _

The towers above weren't that big, not like a castle's. But he could tell by the scenery that they were close. The gates ahead were open, the guards didn't see them.

"You guys just need to get a stomach like me and Wild." Wind turned to Wild. "Hey, have you been on a boat before? That's how the portal feels like, doesn't it? Like being on a ship during a storm."

_ Is that what being on a ship feels like? _ Wild shook his head and looked over the bridge to find a moat. In the water swam long green creatures he had never seen before. He had the impulse just jump down and look at them.

"Wild, get away from the ledge, it's dangerous." Twilight's warning was barely enough to sway the teen from diving right over. Wild glared at him but headed over with a defeated sigh. It seemed the seven had recovered from their motion sickness. Or sea sickness if what Wind said was to be believed. They all headed through the gates, waving at the guards as they walked by.

The music was the first thing Wild's brain registered. Then, it was the large buildings. There were shops, houses, taverns, bars. And people. A lot of people.

"Ah, I knew it!" Twilight smiled at one of the buildings. "I know Agitha's house anywhere! Everyone, welcome to  _ my _ Castle Town!"

Wild could barely hear him over the people talking. This city was huge! And the crowds… bustling crowds. He's been in cities and towns before but this was too much. He pulled his hood over and stood close within his group.

"Where do you think we should head?" Time asked his pupil.

"I know a lady who runs a bar around here. She and her group know pretty much whatever trouble Hyrule is facing."

"Well? What are we waiting for?"

The heroes followed Twilight through the busy streets. Merchants beckoned them to see their wares and the street music blared. Half-way there, Time could feel a tug on his forearm. When he looked down, he could see Wild gripping his arm with his left hand while looking cautiously at the crowds. He used his right hand to keep his hood pulled over his face.

"I guess the wilderness made you a bit antisocial, huh?" He asked with a smile. The teen jerked his hand away and signed a quick 'sorry'. "Hah! It's okay, kid!" Time patted his head.

Twilight didn't even stop to alert them that they were at their destination. He just opened the door with a smile and urged everyone inside.

It was a quaint bar. Simple wooden furniture and warm lighting. There were people here and there, but not many—the most to a table was a group of four. In fact, most were getting ready to leave. On top of the counter sat a white cat who turned her head to the door where the nine just came in. Just behind, a middle-aged woman with kind eyes and red braided hair cleaned a glass. She noticed her cat jump off the countertop and looked up.

"Link!" What a warm voice. "Where have you been?" She noticed Wind and Four, "And why have you brought kids into my bar?"

Twilight picked up the cat and walked to the bartender with a chuckle. "We're not here to drink, Telma. Long story short, I went on another adventure and found some friends on the way. They're all pretty strong." He sat the cat back in her place, but she jumped behind the counter and disappeared. "Including those two. They're early teens but they hit pretty hard when they want to."

Wind ran up to him. "I've had alcohol before, too. Drank all the time as a pirate!"

Twilight scowled at the young teen. "Yeah, and we took away your flask the moment we caught you with it! It's not good for you!"

"Says who?" Wind sat at the bar, his hands placed in front of him. Telma watched the self-proclaimed pirate with a raised eyebrow. 

"What would your gran think if she knew you were an alcoholic at fourteen?" Four asked, sitting right next to him.

Wind pointed at the shorter boy. "Do  _ not _ bring Grandma into this."

"Excuse me, Madam, but I would  _ love _ a sip or two right about now." Warriors pulled Sky along with him to a couple of seats. "That one's a headache to deal with," he gestured to Wind, who stuck his tongue out at the captain.

"Excuse me, I just said we're not here to drink!" Twilight tried to stop Legend and Hyrule from sitting down as well but was ultimately pushed out of the way.

"Why not?" Time chuckled, "I don't mind having a little bit, what about you, Wild?" Twilight groaned and moved to an empty stool. Time sat beside him.

Wild, who was moving rather stiffly through the bar, shook his head no. 'I don't want to get drunk in a place I don't know.'

Telma chuckled. "I don't mind serving you all, it's more money in my pocket. But I wouldn't give you any alcohol even  _ if _ Link was okay with it." She gave a playfully stern look to Wind and laughed when the boy pouted. "I'd hope your little friend here wouldn't like anything alcoholic either." She eyed Four worriedly.

"Me? Oh no! Milk would be nice, though." Four fixed his posture after ordering.

The other heroes gave their orders and paid upfront. Then Telma got to Wild, who sat down on Twilight's other side. "I sell other non-alcoholic beverages." Wild pushed his hood down and looked at the woman. 

'Tea?' He both signed and mouthed the request.

"What kind would you like? We have apple, lemon, peppermint…" She went on listing off different types of teas. And to be honest, the only one he knows is apple.

He rubbed his index knuckle into his lower cheek. 'Some cinnamon too please.'

"Apple-cinnamon tea it is! I'll be right with you!"

"It seems like you've got your work cut out for you, Tel," Twilight commented. Telma laughed while putting kettles on the stove and getting glass cups out of the cupboard. 

"I'd say the same thing about  _ you _ ! Looks like you've got quite the crowd traveling with ya! Is this who you've been for the past couple months, or did you just meet them?"

"I've been with them for all of my time away. Except for this one," He pointed his thumb at Wild. "We met him a few days back. He's a good cook, pretty darn powerful too."

Telma put the glass one-by-one underneath a tap nearby where Time, Twilight, and Wild sat. "Is he shy?"

'I can't speak,' Wild explained. 'I'm just not used to all this…'  _ how to put it? _ 'Everything.'

"You seem pretty overwhelmed with the city life," Time suggested.

'Too much going on.'

"Ah, so he's a country boy like you, eh, Link?" Telma asked.

_ Twilight's from the country? Maybe he'd like Hateno. _ He smiled at Twilight.

"I really don't know. Kid's an enigma. Wanna answer that for us?" Twilight's, and by extension the other seven's, gaze fell on the teen.

Wild inhaled. He didn't know, actually. Probably, he took a liking to the simple life in villages. Then again, his father was a knight, so maybe he was nobility? That was something he should probably ask the princess. He's wanted to ask in the past, but put it off for so long he forgot.

He chuckled and shrugged. 'I don't know,'

Drinks were set in front of Time and Warriors. "Thank you, Ms. Telma," Time nodded. "You don't remember much of your home life either, huh?"

Wild shook his head. 'From what I remember, I'm sure I lived in Castle Town leading up to—' he paused to see Telma, who was watching him curiously '—my amnesia. But now it's just not for me anymore.'

"Amnesia?" Telma asked. The kettles hissed and she left to fix the rest of the drinks. Twilight would continue to translate for the rest.

'Yeah. I know how it happened, I just don't want to talk about it.'

"We all have things we don't want to mention," Legend huffed. 

Sky nodded, "In time, I'm sure we'll all be comfortable enough with each other to talk about our problems!"

"Or have them forced out of us," Warriors joked.

"Or that."

Telma set honeyed milk in front of the two youngest. Hyrule and Legend ordered the same but with cinnamon and turmeric respectively.

Wild felt he'd be in his right mind to judge Legend's tastes. But Warriors beat him to that.

Twilight complained when Telma brought Sky's drink: Chamomile tea. It caused the rest of them to warn Sky that he had better wake on time tomorrow morning. Apparently, he'd take hours to get up now that he'd have the tea in his system.

Warm apple tea was set in front of Wild. A cinnamon stick sat inside the cup. As he brought the decorated teacup to his lips, he wished he had some sort of pie to eat too. The sweet, fruity taste would go perfectly with pumpkin pie.

"You all look tired," Telma hummed, "You know there's a tavern around here that just finished building. It's pretty big, so I'm sure you all can stay there."

"Thanks, Tell," Twilight took a deep breath, then grunted. "Y'all 'most made me forget what I wanted to come here for!"

_ What the fuck was a 'y'all'? _ Wild noticed no one else bring it up, just tittered at his word choice.

"Calm down, Pup."

Twilight groaned and shook his head. "Tel, has there been any strange happenings here lately?"

"Yes, near your hometown, actually." She pointed to the table with a group of four. "Why don't you ask our old pals for information?"

Twilight stood up, catching the sight of familiar faces at the only table of four in the now empty bar. "How come y'all didn't say anythin'?!" He ran up to a man with a sword on his back and gave him a tight hug.

A dour-looking woman walked up to the two and patted Twilight's shoulder. "Auru wanted to see how long it would take for you to notice us."

Twilight pulled himself away from the swordsman and up to the old man at the table, lightly shaking him by the shoulders. "Aagh, you ol' coot…" he continued talking with the group. Wild was surprised, to say the least.

'His voice,' He signed to Time.

He chuckled at Wild's bewilderment. "Yeah, that's Cub's actual accent. He tries to hide it with us, but he's around old friends now."

_ Old friends _ . 'I'm glad they're still around to laugh with him.' Telma caught that. Time took Twilight's seat and placed his hand on the younger's back to comfort him. 'Glad that he's got people to feel comfortable around.' His mind wandered to the champions. He imagined what it would be like if they were still alive. But only for a second.

Someone ran their fingers through his hair. He looked up to see Telma's gentle smile. Her hand was so warm. "You're Link's friend too, you know. No matter how new you are to him, he'll still treat you nicely." She pulled her hand away and went back to cleaning dirty cups.

His mind wandered to an unconventional comparison for the woman. Perhaps he could ask Time about it.

'Is it normal to call women butterflies?'

"What?" Time tried to stifle his confused laugh.

'I just think that Telma's really nice. She reminds me of a summerwing butterfly.' But those butterflies didn't seem to be common to Time. He didn't understand the sign Wild did for "summerwing".

Wild put his Sheikah Slate on the table, swiping through it as he usually did "A-hah!" Is what he tried to say, but it only came out as an oral exhale. He pressed one of the slots. In strips of light, a red butterfly opened its wings in his palm. The yellow borders made it pop even more.

Time watched in awe as the butterfly opened and closed its wings. "Ms. Telma," he called, "Would you please come here and listen to what our friend told us?"

Telma was confused as to why the boy had a bug in his hands, or how he got it in her bar in the first place. But she wanted to listen to what was said before asking him to put it away.

"He says you remind him of this." Time pointed at the insect. Wild blushed and showed it to her, even urging it to her when she held her finger in front of it. Once she had it in her possession, the teen explained himself.

'These are summerwings. Summer. Wings. It's said that their wings gather warmth from the sun. You and an old friend of mine. Both of you remind me of these.'

Telma smiled. She considered letting the butterfly flutter around inside, but her sense shook the notion out of her head.

…

Wild was dreading leaving the bar. He was the last one to leave, waving good-bye to Telma. He hoped that maybe he'd see her again before this group of nine splits for good. 

The nightly coolness was starting to set in. If Wild had to guess, they had about thirty minutes left of daylight. Twilight wanted to head out first thing in the morning, so they were going to this tavern Telma mentioned as soon as possible.

At least there weren't as many people now. In fact, the guards were urging everyone to go home. Thankfully, it took them less time to find the tavern than it did to find Telma.

Time and Twilight took over ordering for the room. Wild took in the place's rustic decor. It was very homey for a city building. Perhaps  _ his _ house could use a bear-skin rug. Maybe more flowers too? He wondered if he could also have log walls on the inside of his house.

"How much for nine?" Time asked.

"We don't have a room for all nine of you, but we can split you up into rooms for four and five. But two in the group of five would have to share a bed," The man at the front desk said. He was the only person in the lobby. But the group could hear other staff members walking about. Everyone else was in their rooms.

"That'll work, we'll only be staying the night." The man nodded at this information.

"For two rooms it'll be 800 rupees."

While the others searched for whatever rupee they had, they also inwardly complained about not being able to sell or find much cash as they did in… Legend's realm, was it? Three shifts ago, before they met Wild. They didn't have 800 rupees at that point?

Wild watched them concerned. Then looked at the man who was waiting with an unamused gaze. He breathed, inhaling as much confidence as the air around him would give. He exhaled his self-doubt and walked over.

He hoped this would work. Wild pulled out the Sheikah Slate, searched, and within seconds, a gem was dropped on the front desk with a thud. Everyone stared at the white crystal. Wild tried his best not to show his nervousness.

"This. This is a diamond?!" The man yelped.

"Shh!" Wild didn't want anyone outside of the lobby hearing. "Yes," he mouthed.

Needless to say, the man was elated. "Alright, go ahead! Here's your room keys." He handed metal keys to the spender and pulled the diamond underneath the desk. He seemed to struggle a bit with it, almost bumping his head against the top when the weight of the gem forced him down. He gestured for Time and handed the keys to him.

'Is there a bathhouse here?' Wild asked the man, who only understood after Time translated. 

"We have a sauna open at this time, would you like that instead?" Wild accepted.

Before Wild was split off from the rest of the group, he presented the slate to Twilight. The older grabbed hold of it cautiously, immediately being gripped himself. Wild's hands were calloused and scarred. His eyes caught hold of Twilight’s; they were sharp and aware, though hid fear and sorrow.

Twilight nodded, "I promise to take care of it." Wild's eyebrows furrowed, but he let go. Time told him the room numbers and let the young man head off.

The eight dropped their belongings in their decided rooms. The rooms were pretty much identical, save for whatever decorations the innkeepers put in. But the heroes stayed in one room, waiting for Wild's return.

Legend was the first to speak about the payment. "You think it was real? That diamond?" He claimed a bed for himself.

The response was mixed. Wind, Four, Time, and Twilight believed so. Sky and Hyrule were indecisive, and Warriors was convinced that it wasn't a real diamond.

"Who just carries diamonds around?" He asked, "What if he got robbed? Maybe he carries fakes around to get out of situations like this?"

"Like what?" Twilight rebutted, "He's been on his own, he wouldn't  _ be _ in a situation where he'd need to pay a diamond for two 400 rupee rooms."

"And I don't think Wild keeps anything anywhere except for in his weird slate thing," Four added.

"We don't know that," Legend pointed at Twilight and Four, now lying on his back with his head hanging over the foot of the bed. "He could. We don't know anything about the guy!"

“Then why not just ask him about it?” Sky offered. The others thought about how such a conversation would go down. But not for long.

A knock on the door. Time was the one to answer. Wild apparently had a penchant for showing up on cue. The boy stood outside the doorway dressed only in a robe given by the staff, and more robes were cradled under his arms. It didn't seem like he even stepped in water. Before heading inside, he handed one stack of robes to Time. Then he used his now free hand to take his slate back from Twilight.

He still hadn't even signed anything to anyone. Only checked the slate and hid it between Legend and Wind's bags.

"Is something wrong, Wild?" Hyrule asked. Wild didn't answer right away, just shoved the other stack to Warriors.

'Sauna is empty. Come with me.'

On the way, Wild explained how difficult it was to talk to the staff. No one awake could understand sign language, leading Wild to have to come up with some sort of charade to ask for robes and bring his friends to the sauna too. He expressed thanks to both Time and Twilight for already understanding him and hypothesized on how difficult it would have been to communicate if they didn't.

"Don't worry about 'what if's," Time urged. "It's nothing to thank us over."

Wild nodded, and the rest of the way was silent.


	2. Lantern

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Of scars, recovered memories, lanterns, and a pup.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first part of this is a retelling of the scars conversation where Twilight and Wild elaborate on their stories.

Eight Links sat in the sauna, relaxing. The ninth was outside checking the time and when they should leave. Legend pointed out the burn scar on War's forearm. The captain explained it was from a dragon disguised as a man, and that's what sparked the discussion on scars.

It wasn't like they could hide anything, no, not now. They talked about their past injuries and how they got them, save for Time who kept many of his stories to himself. And even then, they spared the more gruesome details. So when Wild returned in only a towel wrapped around his waist like the rest of them, they were morbidly curious over what kind of enemy could have caused such heavy scarring.

'Never actually been to a sauna before,' he signed, sitting down on an empty built-in seat. 'Feels kind of like an airy hot spring. The sauna closes at 9, we have 20 minutes.'

"Alright," Twilight replied.

"So, are you gonna… you know, explain how you got—" Legend gestured to Wild's torso, "—That?!" The scarred boy looked at his left side.

"Sorry, kid, we were talking about how we got our own scars," Time apologized, "You definitely look like you've gone through the wringer, though."

The boy grinned. 'It's fine, but I simply can't give a story without a story being told to me, can I?' There were two things that Wild loved almost as much as cooking: puzzles, and stories. And if he saw the opportunity for either of them, he'd take it in a heartbeat.

"Well, I guess since this is my time, I'll tell you a story." So Twilight was the volunteer. "One about scars worse than yours."  _ Oh? This should be fun. _ Sure, Twilight had battle scars, but none that looked as bad as Wild's. But he wanted to hear this. "My adventure began with an imp who forced me to do her bidding in order to help me. After a while, we figured out that we had similar goals and helped each other out mutually. I… started to fall in love with her. After I killed my time's Ganon, I found out that she was the princess of a distant world. Right before she left, she severed all connections between our world's." Twilight stared at his lap, remembering his lost love. "I'll never get to see her again."

Time placed his hand on his protege's shoulder. "You know what they say, it's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all."

Twilight smiled, "Yeah, but that doesn't stop me from thinking about her."

"Ain't that the truth," Legend added under his breath.

Wild thought about Mipha. His only personal memory of her indicated that they were close. She was even planning on proposing to him. He wondered if he would have accepted. In his memories, he had a bit of access to his thoughts and emotions, or lack thereof? Even though his past self seemed so fixated on defeating the Calamity, deep down inside he was sure he felt  _ some _ love towards Mipha. But she was gone now. So no matter how he felt or what she wanted, it was time to move on.

"Was that good enough for you, Wild? Or are you picky with your stories?" Twilight asked. Ah yes, it's his turn now.

'1, I like any story, it doesn't matter to me. 2, I'm sure she misses you too. 3, sure.' 

Twilight nodded, everyone leaned forward, ready to learn of how Wild got so injured. A huff, then raised hands. 'There was technology created by the Sheikah other than the slate 10,000 years ago. Structures, machines, weapons. These creations were ancient, but when they were excavated they were in full working order. 10,000 years ago, before my time, Calamity Ganon showed up for the first time. The technology was made to fight against him and protect Hyrule. And they won.'

"If their tech is anything like your Sheikah Slate, I'm not surprised." Time interjected.

Four nodded, "Must have been a swift victory."

Wild scoffed, they never saw the Calamity. Even when it was weaker, it still could wrap its entire body around the castle. And destroyed the capital in one day. He could only imagine how strong Ganon was back then. 'Doubted, but not impossible I guess.'  _ Now for my time. Let's not accidentally mention my real age. _ 'The most abundant creation the ancient Sheikah made were called guardians.'

Sky shivered but shook his head when the boy noticed. "I'm sorry, I'm sure they're different from what you've experienced, but I've had enemies called guardians that always scared the daylight out of me. I'm sure your guardians are okay, right?" Wild grimaced. "Oh dear."

'They were supposed to be. But when it was our time to fight the Calamity, Ganon had a plan. It seized control of all the ancient machinery and turned it against us. The guardians were the most ruthless, they destroyed everything. They did this to me.' He pointed to his left side. Everyone stared at the explosive damage.

"Shit," he heard someone whisper, either Warriors or Legend since it came from their direction.

"It looks like it hurt a lot," Wind suggested, wincing.

"Understatement of the fucking century,"  _ Yeah, nice word choice, Legend. _

'I can't remember much, I don't really remember the actual process of getting shot at by those things, but I remember sometime afterward I was out of commission. Zelda left to hold Ganon off until I fully healed. And the rest is history.' He hoped that his wording threw them off of asking about how long it took, or how his status was much worse than "out of commission". He'd tell them one day, just not now.

"It's probably for the better, your amnesia," Four suggested, "I don't think I'd want to remember feeling something like  _ that _ ."

"I don't even want to visit your Hyrule! If those things are crawling around, what if it hurts us?" Legend was rightfully worried. Most of them agreed.

'After Ganon was defeated, the guardians either stopped attacking or deactivated altogether. They're fine now.' He chuckled. 'Zelda likes to dismantle some of them and reassemble them. Or take their parts.'

"So, they're not dangerous anymore?" Time asked.

'There are more destructive creatures out there now. Like Lynels.'

Legend nodded. "I can deal with Lynels. Barely, but at least I know how to dodge them." Hyrule and Wild chuckled but agreed.

…

Their clothes were sat in baskets next to the doorways of the two rooms. Clean and neatly folded to use in the morning. But now they were dressed in complimentary pajamas. Wild pulled his slate out from hiding. 'I won't be sleeping tonight so nobody has to share a bed,' he informed the group.

"What? Why?" Twilight asked. 

'I have a lot of energy in me. I can run without sleep for days.' Wild placed the slate on his hip out of instinct. No matter what clothing he wore, the boys noticed he'd always wear a belt to hook the slate onto.

The older decided not to question it. He figured that Wild would learn about sleep hygiene the hard way. Four, Legend, Warriors, and he were sleeping in the same room as their newest member, who stood to look out of the window with his hands on the sill.

The door was closed, and only the five sat in their bedroom. But Twilight told them Time was going to come and check on them one last time. Even knowing this information, the knock on the door felt… unprompted.

The opening  _ click _ and  _ creak _ sounded familiar…

The way Wild was standing, with his hands in front of him...

...

"Link," the gruff voice of a man familiar, yet strange. Link stood staring at the picture on his wall. The only bit of decor in his whole room, a landscape painting of Dueling Peaks. He turned around and walked off the stool he used to reach the top of his dresser, where his hands once sat. The man's face shrouded in darkness, but his hair was blond and growing grey at the roots.

"Sir?" He asked, attention undivided, posture perfect.

The man closed the door and sat on the boy's bed, he seemed uncharacteristically exhausted. If Link knew any better, he'd register the man rubbing his temples doing so out of devastation. "Come here, boy. I have something to tell you."

Link knew better than to sit next to this man. He was taught not to act or even accidentally imply as if he was on the same level as his superiors; that included sitting alone to talk to his captain. He stood in front of him a few feet away. He waited for the man to speak with his hands held behind his back.

The elder inhaled. "Neither you nor I care for dancing around the point, so I'll be brief and leave. Your mother has passed giving birth to your sister."

He felt like he should have been as upset as the man seemed. But, he harbored no feelings towards the estranged woman. That did not stop him from lowering his head and closing his eyes. He pulled his royal guard's cap from his head and pressed it against his chest. The two shared a moment of silence for the lost family member.

The man stood up. Before he left, Link spoke out of turn. "The sister. My sister, if she is still with us, perhaps one day I may see her?" His voice was growing taut. At such a young age, he already had a rasp. Despite speaking without permission, the man didn't get angry.

"She survived," he answered, "But you won't see her until after your duty is fulfilled. Even then, that is a stretch." The man left.

Link stared at his bed. It was cold, and he hadn't slept in it for days. In a few hours, he'd be stationed near Mount Rhoam. He should at least rest for the trip.

As he crawled in his bed, he felt something he could only describe as anticipation. Link inwardly denied that he was looking forward to the day he meets his sister, placing the cause for his anticipation for the trip.

His eyes closed.

…

…

Wild's eyes opened.

It was dark outside. The moon wasn't visible from the window anymore. He heard snores; the others must have fallen asleep by now. But when he sighed and turned around, Wild realized that Warriors was still awake. And startled by the cook's sudden movement.

"You scared the hell out of me," he groaned. "Are you alright?"

Wild would have probably answered if Warriors could understand him. But he didn't even give him a nod. Just stared at him. The only things lit in the room were the glow of the Sheikah Slate and the moonlit window. They could barely see each other. 

Warriors relaxed. "I- don't know if the others want you to know this, but, Fi told us that you might do this."  _ She did? _ "Think it's because she didn't want us to get freaked out and not know what to do. I mean —aheh— Twilight still got scared seeing you in a trance like that. I offered to keep an eye on you till you finished."

_ Hopefully, I didn't give them too much grief. _ 'Thank you,' he signed.

Warriors was starting to understand him more. "Your welcome. I know you said you're not tired, but if you need any of us, just wake us up."

_ I'll be fine. _ Wild turned back to the window, waiting half an hour more for everyone to fall asleep. He replaced the pajamas with his regular clothes and snuck out of the room.

Not even the man who ran the front desk was awake. The front door was locked from the outside. He found that out when he left.  _ Oh, well. If anything I'll just wait until morning. Or climb through our window. _

It wasn't hard to bypass the guards and leave the city. Their line of sight was very limited. And Wild was quiet, even without any stealth-related items.

To Wild, this Hyrule field was so small. So empty. No trees or ruins. There were monsters, though. He wanted to fight them, but he remembered what happened the last time he snuck off alone. So, he had to avoid them. Downward, then to the right; that was his direction.

He just wanted to walk. And think. A man he didn't know told him his mother died, and he may never see his sister. Well… he never will, now. All he could do now was hope she didn't die within the Calamity and lived out her life not knowing she had a brother who failed her.

Wild saw the beginnings of a lake in the distance. He felt like he was being followed, but put the thought to the back of his mind, only to push a new notion to the forefront.

_ I shouldn't be skipping my medication. _ He didn't have much left, but he had the recipe and materials. When he ran out, he could make more. That didn't stop him from dreading the process though.  _ And even though I'm away from Zelda and Purah, that doesn't mean I can just not record my memories and how I'm affected. _

He pulled out the Sheikah Slate and started a new category on his adventure log. Usually, whenever Wild remembered something, he'd go to Purah to record the event. But he didn't have her, nor Zelda.  _ I don't need them, _ he reasoned with himself,  _ I can be responsible for myself. _

The events of the memory itself were summarized under its own category, the same one he used to record his first eighteen. But the new category he decided on a whim to use for writing down his thoughts on the memory. He continued walking on the edges of the lake while he wrote.

Finished, Wild now had to continue keeping track of his medicine. In the inventory sat two bottles different from the rest. Instead of them being labeled as elixirs, they were called teas. One of them was half empty —that was the one Wild picked out. The mauve liquid was a lot more watery than elixirs. But he knew it was much more dangerous than one too.

He brought the bottle up to his face, halting. The liquid shook and swished, settling down by the moment. His medicinal tea was the only thing that made him consider buying measuring tools. He never did, though, and insisted on using his eyes.  _ Perfectly half, _ he mused,  _ good. _ It was safe to drink the whole thing.  _ Bottoms up.  _ Delicious, tangy, warm on his throat. 

But still, now he couldn't drink any elixirs yet, lest he got horribly ill. The bottle disappeared like all the other empty bottles and Wild went to track his doses. ' _ Possibly the first hour. Accidentally skipped a day. Hopefully, it won't mess up anything. Will need to brew more in two days. Voice still not working, no sound yet.' _ The last sentence was a note he wrote for all his entries. It was the reason he was drinking the tea in the first place. Wild wrote an addendum too.  _ 'Worried about messing up the tea around the others. I have to stay with them _ . _ What if I put too much? What would they do? I have Mipha, but I don't want them to know about that yet. I have to be careful with this.' _

Finally, he was done with the slate. The moonlight reflected on the water. Wild could see to the other side of the lake. No lizalfos? No monsters? At all? He walked into the shallow waters, right before it got deep. Nothing was here except for closed buildings. And the feeling of being watched.

He didn't notice until he stepped in, but there was something different than water reflecting on the ground. A discarded lantern? It was quite big. It was metal and the center was encased in glass. The circular handle was attached by a small rotating ball. No cracks in it? There was no one else around, it couldn't be anyone's. Not anymore.

Wild picked up the perfectly good lantern. He was surprised to see it light up the moment he brought it to his face. Its orange glow was so warm and alluring. He strapped it to his belt, he'd keep it.

But he knew someone was watching him. He could feel it and he couldn't ignore it anymore. When he turned around he half-expected assassins at worse, a small animal at best.

Now, Wild has been through a lot, and just recently decided to go with whatever happened next. Once he thought resurrection was the strangest thing to happen to him. But then he met his past incarnations, a story he truly needed everyone to see to believe. The beasts he's met on his journey reached the level of pure mysticism on Satori Mountain.

But he'd never seen anything quite like this gigantic wolf. How he didn't hear it was a mystery. Wild was a short man, sure. That didn't nullify the fact that this black and white wolf easily reached his chest. And it was walking towards him.

It woofed at him and sniffed his clothes. Pressed its nose against Wild's new lantern, giving a worried whine. The boy was a bit worried, it's a wolf. And all the other lupine animals he'd met attacked him. This one simply nuzzled its nose into his hand. The diamond-shaped marking on the top of its head was oddly familiar. Its earrings and blue eyes too.  _ Maybe he'd register in the compendium? _

Sure enough, the camera registered the wolf. "The Blue-eyed Beast" was its name. This beast was trying to push him. To where? He didn't know. He only knew that he was light and could be shoved by the wind if it was strong enough. He had no other choice but to leave the lake. So he walked alongside the Wolf.

However, Wild wasn't stopped from looking at the compendium entry for this "Blue-eyed Beast".

_ 'The form an old hero took when the world was shrouded in the cloak of Twilight.' _

_ Ah. _ He stopped in his tracks. The wolf walked a few more steps but looked back when it realized that Wild wasn't following. The boy sat down with his legs crossed. And the wolf was visibly upset at him.  _ Not like we can go back to our room now. _

It tried and succeeded in pushing him out of his spot. But all it did was knock him over. Wild laughed and tried to sit himself up, all while the wolf tried its hardest to get him walking again. He scratched the wolf's head. Even though it growled at him to stop, even if he  _ didn't _ know who it was, he wouldn't stop petting it.  _ You make a cute puppy, _ he thought as he rubbed the wolf's neck.

Wild supposed the wolf gave up when it stopped growling. Instead, it walked over him and plopped down with a 'wuff' on his lap.  _ Worried I may wander off again? _ He rested his hands in its fur and watched the wolf fall asleep.

As eventful as the day may have been, he still felt as awake as ever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> POE WILD POE WILD POE WILD POE WILD POE WILD
> 
> WOLFIE WOLFIE WOLFIE WOLFIE WOLFIE


	3. Couldn't Help It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wild attacks a hoard and everyone didn't like it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wild is a force of nature and everyone should know.

The mornings here had their own special charm. Very different from the evening's saddening beauty.

Those monsters he saw yesterday must be awake now. It looked like a hoard of them. Wild wondered if he could have snuck up on and killed all of them last night. The hoard was pretty close to Castle Town, he's sure that they'd be trouble if they didn't get rid of them quickly. Right now he couldn't see them, they were right behind a hill. Perhaps he could blow them up? Electrocute them?

_ Come on, Link _ , he chided himself,  _ have a bit of self-control. _

Well, whatever he wanted to do, he couldn't do it with a wolf twice his weight laying in his lap. Speaking of the wolf, he was still asleep, despite it being around 8 in the morning and him wanting to be up two hours earlier. Wild was conflicted about waking him. On one hand, he liked dogs and the wolf was technically just a cute big dog sleeping on his lap. On the other hand, his legs were beginning to feel prickly.

He wouldn't have to think about it for very long, though. In the distance, he recognized the deep cobalt of War's scarf. And Legend's red mail, Wind's lobster tunic, Hyrule's green and brown combo, Four's oversized cap, and Sky's white cape. Actually, Sky was leading them, Time close behind him with Epona at his side. He had the Master Sword out in front of him, flashing occasionally.

Wild called them over with a whistle, also waking the wolf. He didn't know dogs and wolves could yawn. The black and white wolf opened his maw completely and exhaled a low guttural tone, then snapped its mouth shut with a  _ smack _ . It was the most precious thing he ever saw. He huffed at the boy and watched the heroes come closer, perking up at the sight of the horse.  _ Good morning to you too. _

"There you are!" Time exclaimed. The unimpressed glare he held told Wild he was getting sick of the boy's vanishing act. It was only his second time. "We've been looking all over for you until Sky decided to try dowsing." He pointed to Sky, whose sword was flashing close to its target.

"Where've you been?" Legend also seemed exasperated by him. Well, he seemed exasperated by everything. All the cook did was point at his spot on the floor. He'd been there the entire night.

'He wouldn't let me leave,' Wild explained, looking down at the wolf. 'He fell asleep in my lap and he's heavy. I can't move.'

Time knelt and made eye contact with the peculiar beast. "So you've met Wolfie, haven't you?" He placed a hand on his head but retreated when the wolf growled. With a wry chuckle, he looked down at Wild's side. "What's up with the lantern?"

The lantern attached to Wild's hip was still glowing, despite it being bright out. There was no latch to open it and snuff the light out.  _ Maybe it'll go out on its own. _ 'Found it, it's mine now.' He started scratching who he now knew as Wolfie behind the ears. Even when he growled and barked at him to stop, Wild wouldn't relent. As a last-ditch effort, Wolfie opened his mouth and held Wild's neck between his jaws, growling menacingly. 'He's dramatic isn't he?' he asked, then went to rub the wolf's back.

"You've got some nerves, petting something threatening your life," Warriors commented and turned to Time. "Should we get him off?"

Wild glared back at Wolfie with a cocky grin.  _ You wouldn't dare. _ He felt jaws close in around his neck, but not enough to hurt him.

"Wolfie!" Time shouted. The wolf backed off, again snapping his jaws shut. Wild gave a knowing grin at the beast. He wondered if anyone else knew. He'd keep it a secret, but that didn't stop him from having his fun messing with 'Wolfie'. Time only chuckled when all was done. "He doesn't like to be pet."

_ I can see. _

"Hey, have you seen Twilight?" Sky asked, "He's missing too. We thought he'd be with you."

Wild pushed himself forward, wiping the wolf saliva from his throat. He didn't get up though. 'I haven't. Maybe he went back to the bar? I think I want to stay here though, I'm not ready to go back into that city madness.'  _ But I have no qualms about causing madness of my own. _ His eyes shifted in the direction he saw the monster hoard. 'I like it here. I can be on my own, right?'

Time squinted his eyes at Wild, who played coy with his innocent teal eyes. Then turned his attention to Wolfie. "The bar? Okay. We'll go and look then. You'll be okay?"

"I can stay with him," Four offered. It was a nice sentiment, but…

'I'll be fine.' 

"Alright. Be careful, okay?" Time hummed. 

'Fine.'

The group went back the way they came with Epona in tow. The horse huffed behind herself as if to say 'see you later'. Wild huffed back. Now it was just him and Wolfie again. But not for long.

As if it was some type of apology for embarrassing him, Wild presented a roasted bird thigh to the big wolf. He ate it quickly, gave the boy thanks, and left in a different direction. Now he was all alone. He just can't help himself. A crooked, dastardly grin appeared on Wild's face. 

Oh, the havoc he was about to reap.

…

Twilight made it to Telma's bar and somehow convinced her to act like he'd been there the entire time. The others opened the door a minute later. Telma raised her eyebrows at the young man.

"They were looking for you?" She asked under her breath, "You sure got her fast, then." With a cleared throat, Telma beckoned the boys. "Hey boys, come on in! don't block the door! Link's right here. Where's your hooded friend?"

"Miss Telma," Time greeted, "Our buddy is waiting for us outside of the town, he said we'd probably find Link here." He placed a hand on Twilight's shoulder. 

"Well, he was right! And you're leaving so soon?" Time nodded. "What a shame. A traveling bunch, you all. If you're going now, I hope you'll all be safe, okay? Rusl went to Ordon last night. ' said he's got his own way of getting past whatever's going on. Tell your friend I said hey!"

The boys closed the door to Telma's bar, six of them speeding ahead back to Wild's direction (still within Time's line-of-sight), while the leader and his protege walked a lot slower behind.

Twilight was rubbing his neck, still feeling the phantom of Wild's hands petting him. "He's already in the right direction. We're heading that way to the Ordon province, fastest route." 

Time accepted the information, and shifted to the elephant in the… town square. "Seems like the new kid's got you figured out already. Think he knows you're the wolf?"

"If he does, he's got some sharp eyes. Or his magic thing told 'im. He did something with it last night, then sat down and wouldn't come back to the inn with me. Wouldn't stop freaking petting me!" The pelt-clad hero mussed his hair, trying to get Wild's small phantom hands away from his scalp.

"Who knows, maybe he doesn't even know and has _no_ real sense of self-preservation!"

"I mean," Twilight shrugged, "that's what Fi said. Whatever he did, however much he knows, he knows that I'm not gonna hurt him."

Time watched the other boys come together and do small dances to whatever music was being played in their paths. "I wish we could've met him sooner. You think he feels left out?"

"I wouldn't be surprised, but I'd hope not. It's been a few days, we should—"

_ FWOOM _

The entire square was silenced by the crack of lightning. The thundering strike came from the south, but there was no sign of a storm. The townspeople muttered amongst themselves, asking what it was. And the green barrier growing in the distance did nothing to quell their worries.

Legend was the first to guess what the cause was. "Wild?" He whispered.

_ FWOOM _

Now the people were in an uproar. They started running inside, screaming about how the gods were upset with them. It was chaos, trying to get through a crowd rushing the opposite direction. For the time being the eight heroes were separated by the rushing current of people. Warriors was pushed and punched, Wind fell over, Four was almost trampled (if Legend hadn't pulled him up, he would have been), Time and Twilight were pulled away from each other, Sky tried his best to move around the crowd like a maze, and Hyrule was nowhere to be seen. If this  _ was _ Wild —which they were certain it had to be— he was getting an earful.

Somehow, the group made it to the southern entrance without any bad injuries. Though Time knew a few of his comrades were going to form bruises soon. It turned out Hyrule ran the moment he heard the first strike. The sky was clear, and there were only two lightning bolts.

"That kid's a freak of nature!" Legend screamed. He beckoned the rest to follow him. He and Twilight could smell iron and soot in the air. "Was there an explosion?" 

"Sky," Time called "You can still dowse for Wild, right?" 

The Master Sword flashed in Sky's hand as he pointed the sword forward. They'd all follow him into central Hyrule Field.

…

The monsters' bodies didn't disappear like in his world. It reminded him of Sky's monsters. However, the moblin and bokoblins he and Legend fought weren't there after they came back to Faron Woods. These corpses may leave in time too. Hopefully so. Or else this place would stink to high heavens.

Wild was glad he switched into his barbarian set. Especially since there were these awful aerial-type lizalfos that were a pain to deal with. He got the job done faster than he would have if he wore his regular clothes. He was coated heavily in monster blood, both red and black. And gunpowder from his bomb arrows. However, Wild was in no way unscathed. He had deep cuts and stab wounds, and he was sure he'd been shot too. He would have drunk an elixir by now if it weren't for noticing his own monsters in the hoard.

A good score of bokoblins was his, and some chuchus and lizalfos too. Not that many moblins, but they were terrifyingly strong anyways, so Wild didn't complain about their lacking.

Now that he thought about it… this would be a good time to study these creatures. He can last a long time with untreated wounds. His condition wasn't optimal but he could deal with it.

The chuchus all exploded, even the ones that weren't his. So Wild had no way of taking pictures of them now.  _ Oh well, another time. _ He dragged out a few of the corpses from the pile and laid them flat on the ground. Wild had no set number for how many of each monster type, he treated it like he was measuring cooking ingredients: the ' _ this is enough' _ thought appearing in his head with every species.

As if this wasn't gruesome enough, Wild pulled out one of his swords and started cutting open the monsters one by one. The black-blooded ones had shriveled up and yellowed organs, while the red-blooded ones looked fine.  _ So they are sick? But how are they so strong? _

All of the bokoblins had differently shaped organs. None of them looked like his own (the closest being one with a pig snout, but even then, there were too many differences). Interestingly enough, the moblins had a much stronger connection to each other. All of them were fairly pig-like, though his were still quite skinny compared to other versions, and their organs only varied in size. As for the lizalfos…

For them Wild recorded in his adventure log:  _ 'They're all fucking annoying so they're definitely the same damned creatures. Even the flying ones.' _ He'd cut off their tails for elixirs, though.

While writing down all the information he found about the monsters, he started to reminisce about the events after the Calamity's defeat. Specifically about Zelda's acute interest in  _ every _ bit of life present in the ruined world.

In the beginning weeks, she'd be so interested in plants and critters that all she wanted to do was study their effects and write down the results. The number of notebooks she filled in the first week alone was staggering to Wild. But she was so giddy over anything new she'd find that all he could do was smile and listen. On nights when their paths crossed again, Zelda would show her former knight all the research she'd done on how to bring out the best effects for armoranths or ask him to accompany her to a valley where she'd once seen a new type of lizard.

Even after how traumatic the Calamity was, she never changed. She was still the scientific girl Wild knew and…  _ I'm getting red… _ Wild pressed his bloody hand against his cheek, feeling a bit warm.

Then she met Kilton.

And, dear Hylia, Wild prayed for mercy on his poor soul. Those two became fast friends rambling on about monsters and machines alike. She'd demand Robbie to teach her how to dismantle and reassemble every type of guardian available and show Kilton which parts made the machines tick. Kilton would in turn explain his theories over the blood moon and how he had a feeling they were a natural occurrence from the beginning.

Zelda would personally hunt Wild down so that she could ask him to find more parts, both machine and monster, for them. And if she grew impatient in her search… well, Wild learned that he'd need to start keeping his materials on him, lest the princess's kleptomania acted up. Somehow she found him in one of the secret hot springs in the far north of the Hebra province once. She apparently needed to rant about how Kilton didn't think a golden lynel could withstand an attack from a flurry of cuccos. To which Wild had to immediately deter her from trying to prove the point herself with the embarrassing tale of trying to fight a  _ red _ lynel with cuccos.

What utterly befuddled Wild was witnessing Kilton talk with Zelda during a one-on-one tea party… in a  _ town _ . Everyone watched the two chat about how hinox guts were surprisingly the best-tasting ingredients for elixirs —though all elixirs tasted like salted, gelatinous clay. Their interaction got to the point where Wild got interested and would start feeding their chats with the knowledge he'd gained in his travels.

Wild gained a sour taste in his mouth when he realized that he left Zelda out in the wilderness alone right when she was getting bold. She could fight, absolutely, Wild made sure of that. But her intrigue in the more dangerous monsters sat horribly in Wild's stomach.

_ Crunch _

Wild's mind believed it was more monsters. How inattentive he was to his surroundings. He whipped around, Lynel Sword in hand. His eyes caught sight of hair a little darker than his, a lot shorter too.

Time stood a few feet away from him. Obviously, the old man was perturbed by the sight of him. What with Wild's barbarian set now stained with blood and gunpowder from explosives, holding a giant sword ready to kill whatever was trying to sneak up on him? Wild must have looked like a true savage.

He placed his sword on his back and turned away from Time. Sheepishly, he hunched his shoulders and pressed his fingers together.  _ Caught red-handed _ .

"Wild?" The elder asked, "That's  _ you _ ?!"

All Wild did in response was wave hello at him.

Time relaxed and called out behind himself. "It's okay! It's him!"  _ The others are here too? Should have guessed. _ He turned to the bloody male. "I didn't recognize you! You're not hurt, are you? What are these clothes?" Wild raised his arms and pointed at the stab wound on his abdomen. "It's getting stuff in it. We gotta clean it out before giving you a potion. Other than that, are you okay? You got an arrow in your back too."

Wild reached behind him with his left hand. It was in his shoulder blade, not the most comfortable place, but he'd manage. With the flick of his wrist, the arrow was removed and placed into his quiver. Time tried his best to quell his horror.

"Huhh… h-okay, not the best idea, you know, but we'll deal with it. Come on, let's get you washed off." The boy obliged, walking lamely up to his elder. Time stared at his left leg; a sprained ankle. "Here," he picked the boy up. He assumed Wild was trying to yelp instead of exhaling. "You're pretty light for a teenager, are you eating right?" 

Wild was too busy looking at the ground to notice the question. He'd never been carried before. Well, while he was conscious. He kept his arms to himself to minimize any mess put onto Time's person. With how he was sitting, he needed to pull his lantern into his lap. 'Don't drop me.' 

"I won't. We're going over to that lake over there." He watched the others walk up to them, staring at Wild's battered body. "You gonna answer my question? You're too light. Have you been eating?"

'You sound like Hudson.' Whoever this Hudson fellow was, he sounded like he had a good head on his shoulders. 'Now that I think about it, I did skip breakfast. I was kind of in a daze this morning. Can't remember the early hours."

"Hmm."

The other heroes didn't ask about what he said, instead pelting Wild with lectures and insults about his stunt.

"You put the entire town in a FRENZY!"

"Do you know how frightened everyone was?!"

"You scared the daylights out of us too!"

"If you weren't badly hurt already I'd hit you myself!"

"Boys!" Time silenced them all. Wild sat in amusement. "You can insult him later. Wild, I don't really know how much power you have, but I know you're powerful enough to deafen a field's worth of people. Try  _ not _ to use your lightning technique near towns." He could do that.

Wild was let off into the lake, what he was informed to be the entrance to Twilight's version of Lake Hylia. He didn't have much time to take it all in. He was rushed to get in and get out so they could be on their way to Ordon. Right, they were so late.

Once bandaged and dressed back into his champion's tunic, he had a cherry red potion shoved into his face. "Hurry up and drink it while we walk," Legend ordered.

Wild took a sip, immediately recoiling the moment the liquid touched his tongue. It was completely bitter, no saltiness at all. 'Are you trying to kill me?' Time and Twilight glared at him.

"You're acting like a child, just drink the damn poti—"

"Chshhh-chshh!" Wild hushed them. He gave the bottle back to Legend. 'You guys  _ drink _ that when you have serious injuries?'

"Yes?" Time responded, "Is there something wrong with that?"

'It's all monster parts! Not even potent ones either! These potions are meant for superficial wounds! You'd get infection using that on deep cuts.'

"I'd rather have an infection than be dead," Legend retorted.

Wild rubbed his temple with one hand and used the other to look through his slate. Next time they stopped, he needed to make a  _ lot _ of hearty elixirs. He picked his second-to-last bottle and drank it all down. His wounds and pain melted away with each gulp, not like anyone else could see with his body covered, though.

"And what was different with that bottle? That it's an elixir? How much better can it be?!"

'Next time you get injured I'll use one on you.'

…

To Wild's scenic-loving delight, and the others' misfortune, Twilight's Hyrule was one of the bigger kingdoms visited. Time explained to the new member that they were usually brought to times with either smaller areas or shorter distances to where they needed to go. That did cause concern to Wild, though. If Twilight was worried about this ¾ day trek, the group would hate his Hyrule. If they needed, Wild had both food and elixirs for stamina recovery.

Now… about this dowsing Wild heard about. He slowed down and signed to Sky, even though he couldn't understand. He thought for a second, then mouthed while signing: "Master. Sword. D-o-w-s-i-n-g."

Sky lit up. "Oh! Yeah! I asked Fi to set you as a target. I can find a whole bunch of things with dowsing. People, places, gateways to other realms… as long as Fi knows it."  _ Sounds like the Sheikah Sensor _ .  _ I can't find other realms though. _ "Ah, I think I should keep you as a permanent target option though," the sky boy chuckled nervously, "You wander off a lot, no offense."

"None. Taken." Wild mouthed with a smile. It wasn't like he couldn't deny it. "Can. I. See?" He pointed at the sword. Sky placed it in his care as they continued walking.

Again, it dimmed. The brilliant glow was no longer present when placed in Wild's hands.

"You know?" Sky started, "It saddens me to know she's grown so weak over the millennia. In fact. I'm upset that she's had to be used for so long, that even thousands of years after us, we're all still cursed."

This is the first time he's heard of something like that. "Curse?" Everyone seemed to be listening in. Perhaps they hadn't known either?

"I'm the one who forged the Master Sword into what she is now. Which means I was the one who fought against the first evil plaguing the world. His name was Demise. And right before I could get rid of him for good, he cursed our souls for all eternity. Zelda, me, you all." The white-caped hero sagged. "I never really thought about how old Fi was, could be, until you mentioned 10,000 years. I never thought about how many ages would need us."

Wild watched as Sky heaved an anguished sigh. He probably felt this way for a long time. It was just put into perspective with an actual number. He placed a hand on his shoulder to gain the other boy's attention. The Master Sword and its sheath were placed on Wild's back for now.

"I. Failed. My. Duties. As. A. Knight."

Time turned around and tried to intervene in the boy's guilt again, "Wild, not this—"

"I. Was. Able. To. Defeat. Ganon. Later. I. Am. Still. Regretful. Still. Grieving. Still. Feel. Guilty. But. I. Can. Not. Do. Anything. More. Than. Move. Forward. And. Rebuild." No one realized they had stopped walking. Wild gave Sky a somber smile. He saw it in his eyes, the boy was following him just fine. "I. Do. Not. Think. I. Will. Ever. Stop. Blaming. Myself. But. None. Of. My. Tears. Or. Sorrows. Will. Bring. Back. Those. Who. I. Lost. We. Can. Not. Change. The. Past. What. Is. Important. Now. Is. The. Future."

Time, amid the group's silence, decided to be the first to speak. "That's a good way to look at things if a bit bittersweet."

Sky agreed, "Yeah, thanks Wild. It's just—" he scanned where they were. Near a tunnel? "—it's just so daunting! You know, being practically the first hero you don't realize how many others could come after you, or how long it'd take between eras for— uh.."

"For our spirit to reincarnate?" Legend finished.

"Yeah."

"We're at the exit of Central Hyrule Field," Twilight informed. "Once we get through the tunnel, we go straight down into the Faron part of Hyrule Fields, and from there the path'll get a lot more narrow. Depending on what monsters we see, we'll be there by night to early morning."

Wild unsheathed the Master Sword one last time before handing it back to Sky. He could never bring himself to hate it, no matter how much he's been through. That being said, his feelings were extremely mixed. There was no one emotion he experienced when the blade was in his hands. If anything, both invigoration and exhaustion filled his being at the same time when he wielded it.

A strange warping sound interrupted his thoughts. Attention was turned to dark portals spewing forth monsters from different realms.

"Alright boys, ready yourselves."

He would have handed the blade back to Sky if it weren't for that familiar  _ thrum _ . He caught sight of it. In his hands, after several months of a dim blade, he almost couldn't believe it. Wild could barely fathom when he witnessed the Master Sword brightened to its blue glory in his hands. 

No...

That could only mean one thing.

His heart dropped.

The familiar long metallic legs reached forth from the closest portal. It pulled itself out to reveal its dark metal body. Burning with malice.

Its blue eye locked on to them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Scary Piano Music*
> 
> Zelda and Kilton best friends forever.


	4. Guardians Exhaust Ye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An encounter with corrupted guardians throw Wild off so hard he loses his appetite.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all didn't expect a chapter this quick, did you?
> 
> Remember that When. Wild's. Dialogue. Does. This. He. Is. Mouthing. And. Signing. His. Words.

Red target on his chest.

He was stunned by the sight of it alone.

"What the hell is that?" Legend huffed, staring at the machine with just as much fear and apprehension as Wild.

He couldn't move. The beeping was paralyzing. _It can't be_. 

"Guys, get out of the way! It's gonna fire something—"

Whoever was speaking, their voice was drowned in waves of malice-filled memories. Everyone else fled its line of sight, except for Wild. He stood there and stared back at the corrupted guardian. _This can't be happening! This isn't real! They're okay now! Zelda!_

"Wild!" His ears picked up the tell-tale final beep. As if on instinct he raised his shield. Daruk was used up in his fight from earlier. He could hear footsteps approach fast.

The light beam shot towards him.

His trance was cut off by a perfect parry.

It wasn't down. He deflected the blast right back in its eye, yet it wasn't destroyed. Whoever knocked him down, he shoved them right off and went for the guardian's legs. With each hacked off limb, the machine stayed stunned, firing off into the distance. Once overturned, the newest hero climbed it and stabbed its eye over and over.

Wild didn't realize another guardian was present until he was almost grazed by its light beam. The radiating heat made Wild sick. But the guardian was too far away. Still, it aimed at his chest, steadying its shot.

"—more behind us!" _Behind?_ Wild turned to find five more. 

_Fuuuck!_

He backflipped off of the one he was attacking, leaving it sputtering before finally exploding. _What do I do, what do I do?!_ The others sprinted at the machines, attacking them head-on without any realization at how much damage these things could do.

Another confirming beep left Legend sprawled on the grass. One more would have ended up with Wind getting a hole through his stomach if it weren't for Time pushing him out of the way. 

_This isn't good! Think, Link, THINK!_

He crouched. _Revali, please!_ With a full-forced jump, a gust hoisted him into the air. Around him flapped his Rito adversary, letting him off with an extended wing before disappearing. He wanted to spare these. But below, he saw Sky armed with a whip barely miss a strike.

Ancient bow, Ancient arrow. Left arm steady, right arm drawn. His own blue beam was prayed on before loosed. _Goddess Hylia, hear me, please. Let me strike down these corrupted weapons!_ His aim was spectacular, and his most loved bow made it even more accurate. The one in front of him was pierced the moment Wild was let in the air. A quick turnaround and the other five were also made swift work of. Yet, now all his energy was depleted.

He plummeted back-first onto the ground, all air knocked out of his lungs. But he needed to get up. They were destroyed, right? Wild pulled out the Master Sword. Its glow dimmed, but… he was still on edge.

"Legend! Legend!" Twilight called out to the injured teen. He hadn't moved from his spot. The nine were being surrounded. And with one severely injured, attention was split. Twilight was crouched over the red-clad boy holding back his sputtering cough. The impact was right below his ribs. He could barely breathe.

Wild's whistle turned Warriors and Time's heads. His teal eyes were grave, fierce, sharp. The lantern at his hip was flickering. At first, it looked like random flashing. But as Wild threw a pinkish-red elixir to Time, Warriors recognized the signal.

…

.—

—..

…

.—

—..

"How the hell…" Warriors didn't have time to figure out how he was doing that. But he acknowledged the message all the same.

The elixir was fed to Legend, who recovered in an instant. "What was that?!" The boy felt as spry as ever. The only thing damaged was his red mail. He shook his head and paid attention to the crowd forming around them.

"We need to retreat!" Twilight urged, "We don't need to fight them, let's go, now!"

The others followed him through the tunnel. Wild was slow, he kept looking around and clutching the Master Sword like a lifeline. But he followed nonetheless. The tunnel was big enough to fit the three adults of the group —Time, Twilight, and Warriors— in a row. They all ran past a rather large puddle that spanned from wall to wall. And with the last bit of spatial awareness he had, Wild noticed the puddle and used cryonis to separate them and the approaching creatures.

Now they could relax. Wild rehooked the slate and handed back the Master Sword to Sky. Legend ghosted his hand over his diaphragm. He was possibly still reeling from either the blast or the recovery; probably both. Time and Twilight hurried everyone along. The day was already half-way through. It'd be time for lunch soon.

"That was all of those beamos-looking things, right?" Sky asked.

"What the fuck kinda beamos do you have?!" Legend kept his hand on his exposed skin and used his other to point at Sky.

"Well—beamos in the sense that they shoot lasers at you!"

"That shit hurt worse than a beamos."

Twilight put a hand on the recovered teen. "Are you alright? You seem to be moving just fine but—"

"Actually, I'm feeling better than fine. Guess the cook's elixirs are better than potions after all. Speaking of… Cook took those machines out pretty quick didn't he?" They all turned to the slowest member.

Wild was staggering. The entire battle began to crash down on him. If not physically, he felt mentally tired from the encounter. The others could see it in his face. Ghostly pallor, knitted eyebrows, prominent frown. Eyes downturn and haunted. He was hunched over and walked slowly. Even his lantern, in War's eyes, flashed differently:

…———...

…———...

He fully turned around and walked in front of the short teen. "Hey, it's okay. We're safe. You're safe." When he grabbed the boy's arms, he could feel him shivering. "Can you hear me? We're away from them. Look at me." Wild obliged for a moment, then let his head drop once more as he started tearing up. "Hey, hey, hey! No, _shit_ … listen! Okay, it'll be fine, come on! Let's go sit down alright? It'll be nice, I promise! You know, we're going to the Faron region, where there are… uh… forests! There are forests in your Faron region, right, Twi?" He turned to his friend, who nodded softly. "See? We'll all sit in the forest, you'll like that don't you? You seem like a tree-loving guy! Just-just don't cry… please?"

Wild pulled himself back up with a shaky sigh. His cheeks were already wet. He wouldn't make eye contact with any of them. He just wiped his face with his sleeve and tried to suck it all up. Twilight walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We can talk about it over lunch, alright?" He assured. "But let's get to the second tunnel entrance, then we'll settle down."

He closed his eyes. Something warm pressed against his face and neck. A small huff pushed against the fabric on his shoulders. He leaned into Epona's comfort. She was such a gentle horse. He never met her before, but her nature reminded him of his steed Cinnamon. Even though she was lighter than him and had white hair instead of black, and that Cinnamon was of a wild temperament, the kindness and warmth the two radiated were astoundingly similar. He hoped his horses were doing fine without him, and that they were all being taken care of.

He had a gift for her kindness. He searched in his slate for a moment, retrieved an endura carrot, and fed it to her with a kiss above her snout. Horses and dogs, he'd give all the affection in the world to. With his last bit of energy, he followed the group silently.

All of his strength was put into his legs. Wild couldn't think, his mind was muddled, he was barely looking ahead. He almost didn't notice when Wind grabbed his hand to steer him around the curving walls. And the youth didn't let go even when they reached the exit. Even the hilly, grassy, tree-peppered plains couldn't kick him out of his head.

It wasn't until his stomach made an audible growl when Wild was brought back into lucidity. A few chuckles arose from his sudden hunger pangs.

"Yeah, I'm hungry too," Wind agreed.

Four raised his hand, "Seconded."

"Alright, we're about there, so we can stop I guess." Twilight had Hyrule and Warriors help set up the cooking pot. "Wild, you don't have to cook, you seem out of it."

Wild huffed, mildly offended at the assumption that his mental state was more powerful than his gut. 'No, I'll do it. Just hurry up, I haven't eaten all day.'

Meat stew filled his thoughts. But damn, did he waste a lot of milk on the creamy heart soup. Not right now, maybe Ordon had someone who sold milk. He needed something heavy, but what about everyone else? 

"You don't have to," Wind urged, wrapping his arms around his fellow hero-in-blue.

He patted the youth's head and turned to everyone else. "Do. You. Want. Something. Light. Or. Heavy?"

"Whatever you can make quickly and simply," Legend replied. Everyone else had no other suggestions.

_Meat pie._ Sometimes he hated how much rock salt he had in his inventory. It seemed like no matter how much of anything else was stored in the slate, the amount of rock salt was ten times the amount. Gourmet meat was hard to come by, but was tender and could feed five men if cut proportionally; they only needed two. Wild would always stop merchants to stock up on Tabantha wheat. And he'd be _damned_ if he didn't have at least one stick of goat butter on him at all times. He requested another pot and was on his way with cooking.

"You feeling alright, kid?" Time asked.

"Shaken," Wild mouthed. He used his own mortar and pestle (since the eight didn't have one) to grind up the wheat. Mixing the wheat and butter in the smaller pot, he tried to groan. 'They were supposed to be purified.' He salted the gourmet meat and, with ease, cut it free from the bone in even proportions and let it sit in the bigger pot. Hopefully, the smell of cooking meat won't attract anything.

"Those robot things," Warriors mentioned, "those were guardians?" A nod.

"Fuck, Wild," Legend rubbed his abdomen, staring at the cook's left side. "And _that_ shot you how many times?" A shrug. He didn't remember. Legend now had first-hand experience with how bad it felt to be shot once by a guardian. "I can't even imagine that much pain, what the hell."

'Not supposed to hurt us anymore. Something's wrong.' Wild flipped over the meat, then started cutting and molding the buttery dough he created into pockets. 

"We know that monsters and machines in our worlds were specifically made to work against us," Sky hummed, "Well, the ones that attack us today. We don't know anything about your technology. It's completely new to us."

"You…" he mouthed, he remembered _something_. He was taught something over a hundred years ago. About these heroes. He knew he was familiar with some of their titles. "Heroes. Of. The. Distant. Past."

"Distant past?" Hyrule repeated.

"All. I. Know. You. Probably. Before. Ten. Thousand. Years." The pockets were stuffed. The delicious meat pie was served one by one. The moment it was set in front of a hero it was devoured. But when Wild placed a meat pie onto his plate, his stomach locked up.

He paused. Time saw his eyes widen, but didn't know what was wrong. Gently, Wild set the plate aside and left the group, mouthing something along the lines of "not hungry anymore". They watched him lurch away near a tree and lie down. He gazed into the sky with a haunted expression, one hand over his abdomen, the other moving to rest over his eyes.

"No," Time grunted, half out of anger, half out of worry, "He's already scared me enough today, he's not gonna sit there and suddenly not want to eat."

The eldest hero grabbed the abandoned plate and ambled over to Wild. He kneeled next to his face and placed the meal in between them. "Wild. Get up. Now." No response, other than his ears twitching from the noise. "Wild!" Still nothing. This worked on Wind now and again. He gave a stern glare at the boy, "Link," he growled. 

He didn't expect to be met with eyes fearful of the call. He didn't expect to be locked into a staring contest with a boy who seemed too afraid to move. But Wild eventually pulled his hand over his eyes once more, sighed, and shook his head.

'This never happened before. Never lost my appetite.'

"Well… if anything… I'm- I'm glad it's not an often occurrence for you. Still, you need to eat."

'Can't. Not hungry.'

"It's only been a few days and I'm already noticing your emotional baggage." Wild huffed at the comment. "Are you sure? You're so light, I just… it's not natural."

'My issue isn't my weight. I've always been fragile. Even before I—' he paused. Time noticed Wild's hands. One palm facing his face, the other facing his feet. 'before I lost my memories. I know as a young kid I could be thrown by another child like a ragdoll. My problem is that I'm usually a glutton. I could eat anything, no matter what. But suddenly I just. Lost my appetite.'

"Maybe you're stressed out. Miss Telma mentioned there's another way to get into Ordon. Maybe you could find that and meet us there?"

'I don't want to just leave you.'

"We'll have someone come with you." Time turned back to the group. Twilight was missing from the semicircle but could be seen in the distance rushing back to them. He urged Wild again, "Try?" The plate was pushed over a bit. Wild placed it on his lap but only stared at it. "You did a good job. It'd be a shame to let it waste."

_Fine._ He ate slowly as they watched the others talk with Twilight. Soon they were joined by all seven.

"Bad news," Twilight began, "It's another dungeon. It's right at the next tunnel. We can't bring Epona, so some of us will have to stay behind."

"Ah, good timing. I was just about to ask you if there was another way to send Wild over. He could wait for us there and help keep the village safe. He'd bring someone else along of course."

Twilight looked down at Wild, everyone did. The new attention wasn't welcome at all. "Well… there _is_ Fyer… How comfortable are you with being shot out of a cannon?"

"What's. A. Cannon?"

"Usually," Sky interjected, "They're used to shoot bombs and cannonballs out of really fast. But I've had my fair share of times being shot out of them."

"Me too," Wind huffed.

'I guess I don't mind. I've been flung into the air before.'

Time nodded. "Okay, so this is the plan. Two of us will stay with Epona and wait until the dungeon is cleared. Wild and someone else will find this Fyer person and go the more… explosive route to Ordon Village. The rest will clear out the dungeon."

They drew lots. Sky was coming with Wild. Legend and Four were staying behind. Time, Twilight, Warriors, Hyrule, and Wind were going inside the dungeon.

The food kicked into his system. Wild pulled himself up and walked back over to the cooking pot. Twilight told Sky a few ways to get into Lake Hylia, where Fyer was, and that he looked like "a sad clown". 

Something sour filled the air. Viscous liquid was being poured into the pot from a red heart-like organ. Wild held it with his bare hand (a knife in his other must have been used to cut it open), then dropped it into the vat. He repeated it with two more of these unknown organs then mixed in some ribbed horns and battered hooves.

"What are you making?" Legend grimaced at the pot's disgusting contents. It was as scarlet as a healing potion.

Monster parts. When Wild mentioned what red potions were made of, the heroes either believed it to be untrue or not as bad as it sounded. But no, this was nasty. He held blue lizards by their tail and seeped them into the mix, dropping them in when their bodies were submerged. At least he had enough sense to use one of his own ladles to stir the ingredients. The vat soon turned carmine. Wild asked for empty bottles. Two bottles worth of hearty elixirs for everyone.

'You have to drink it all for the elixir to work. Don't use it up like you would a red potion.' He then pulled out his Sheikah Slate. He showed pictures with garbled words next to them. 

"How can I understand your sign but not your written language?" Twilight asked. Time silently agreed.

Legend grabbed the slate. "The Sheikah of ancient Hyrule developed this as a weapon to combat Ganon. Its six legs give it extraordinary mobility compared to most current vehicles, and its powerful laser provides far greater offensive capability than conventional weaponry. Destroying the legs severely reduces its mobility." The picture was of the guardian they encountered earlier. Listed as a "Guardian Stalker". Legend read off the descriptions of other types of guardians, then handed the slate back to Wild.

'I'm worried you might see them in the dungeon. Or even out here in the fields. If you do, be careful. Here.' Wild apparently carried an entire armory within his slate. The glowing blue weapons he handed them were supposed to be extremely effective against Sheikah technology. Then he pulled out oddly shaped arrows. They looked like bulbs wrapped around the shafts, but Wild pulled at a handle behind the bulb, opening up its true shape. The arrowhead was much like its melee counterparts —glowing blue the moment it was activated. But everyone knew that to Wild these were different.

'Ancient Arrows are very dangerous. And very expensive too. Do not waste them on normal enemies. Make sure you don't accidentally hit each other with one. You will not come back.' He gave his parting friends three arrows each. 'Use them sparingly. Hit guardians in the eye to stop them from attacking.'

"What do you mean we won't come back?" Wind asked.

'To be struck with an ancient arrow is to be consigned to oblivion in an instant.'

With an intense look on Wild's face, the group split into three. Sky could feel how tense the boy was. His eyes glowered ahead of him, his ears must be strained to hear the slightest sound. The white-caped hero softened at the sight of his scars.

_'He is worried for them,'_ Fi spoke to her holder. _'Rightfully so, he does not remember what happened so long ago, but he understands best out of all of you how dangerous this turn of events could be.'_

_'You turned blue in his hands when the guardians appeared. Is it a good idea to let him hold you until we get to the lake?'_

_'He could use me to signal when they are near. But in his possession, I am not as strong against them. It would be in your best interest to eliminate all guardians you see.'_

All they needed to do was reach the lake and go to Ordon. There they'll wait for their comrades' safe return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you think Wild reenters the test of strength shrines and kills guardians just to loot their weapons?


	5. Into and Out of the Fray

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When your friends stress you out so much you leave your corporeal form.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Action chapters are so hard to write...

Sky was walking on eggshells. They weren't even through the tunnel and into the central fields yet. But because of how tense his newest friend was, his stomach sank with each step.

"You didn't happen to put any type of boost in our pies, did you?" Sky wrapped his hands over his torso, hoping for a yes.

Wild sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I. Forgot. Could. Not. Think. Right."

"Oh, well it's fine! I just wanted to know."

_I should have at least slipped in a razorshroom or something,_ Wild chided himself. _They're capable enough on their own. Right?_

"So we need to rip off their legs and they're immobile?" Answered with a nod. "Then I can use this!" Sky pulled out a red-to-teal whip with the golden guard of a rapier. It was quite short. Wild raised an eyebrow at the weapon. "It doesn't look much now, but look!" He swiped his arm downward. His whip stretched out around eight to ten feet. 

Its crack made Wild flinch and rub his back. Sky was too busy watching his weapon recoil to notice. He gave a thumbs up when his friend finally looked at him. _It'll be pretty useful to keep the stalkers from going anywhere. Don't know why I got scared though._

"What about the other types? Like the skywatchers and turrets?"

"If. They. Are. Around. Then. Stay. Out. Of. Their. Line. Of. Sight. Attack. Without. Being. Noticed."

Wild broke the cryonis wall and scanned the fields. There were only guardian stalkers _(figures)_ and regular monsters.

"Should we take them one by one or spread out?" If they were any regular large enemy —say a hinox, talus, molduga, or even lynel— Wild would know how to deal with fighting with two. He and Zelda would go out and look for those every once in a while. But for guardians, not only did he not know how to fight with someone by his side, but he's also six months rusty. He scratched his head.

"Whatever. You. Do. Stay. In. My. Sight. I. Need. To. See. You." 

"Anything else?"

"Short. Whistle. Move. Out. Of. The. Way. Long. Whistle. Come. To. Me."

"Okay. So we're going to clear them all out and then go back into Castle Town." A low sigh, Sky took it as Wild's groan. "I know I know, But that's where we need to go."

"Let's. Just. Hurry."

Sky nodded. The two looked forward, spotting the nearest guardian. "On the count of 3."

"1."

"2."

"3!"

The heroes bolted to the guardian stalker, disregarding all other enemies. Sky immediately started to yank its legs off and hack at its main body. Wild shot it in the eye with a regular arrow. His priority switched to protecting his friend's back since he now had a target aimed right at it. A laser was shot straight at Sky but was dodged at the sound of Wild's whistle. Instead, the laser hit the attacked guardian, which blew up a moment later.

Wild whistled Sky to come with him as they dodged a few more lasers. He had his slate drawn. Sky took to keeping the smaller bokoblins and lizalfos at bay while he worked. Honestly, he didn't know what Wild was doing. But he didn't expect to be pulled onto some horse-like machine and driven downhill. He held onto his friend for dear life as they were almost shot again. They ran over chuchus and bulblins making their way to the next two guardians.

In his shock, Sky swiped his whip at the machines. Once one of them was left completely immobile, Wild _jumped off_ of his "horse". Sky had to take control of it but had no idea how to. He just watched his friend shoot at the guardians with a different bow. It was hard to make out since, in his little air time, he shot so fast, but Sky realized he was shooting three arrows at once again.

Finally, he noticed the handles and turned the horse to the other guardian. It was difficult, but he managed to get its legs off too. He and Wild made quick work of it with the Master Sword and ancient short sword. Three down. Sky found the brakes. "How many more?" Wild hopped on behind him. "Are you INSANE?! You ride this thing!" He received a slap to his side. Wild pointed to his left and Sky reluctantly obeyed.

Guardian after guardian, they switched driving this horse-like machine. Wild was scarily good with a bow and Sky was devastating with his whip. The former was impressed with how fast the latter could destroy a fully functional guardian with so little swipes from the Master Sword. And the latter was interested in the former's ability to parry a laser.

Now, their road was guardian-free. No more portals to bring in more monsters. Sky drove Wild around the field to collect whatever parts the machines dropped, then took him to the entrance of Castle Town.

"That was…" Sky got off the horse. "That was new! I… never thought in my life I'd drive something like this!" He gestured to the wheeled horse that Wild made disappear into his slate. "But it seems like none of you guys have ridden a bird before."

Wild's face was still pinched but softened a little with a smile. "You. Were. A. Natural."

"Why, thank you! We'll be going to Lake Hylia's bridge, so maybe we can talk while we go?"

Entering the walls of the city, Wild quickly latched onto Sky's arm and pulled his hood back up. They speed-walked through the bustling crowds. "Well… I guess I'll just talk. Uhm. Oh goodness, I'm not good with small talk now that I think about it. Zelda's usually the one to carry conversations with me. I- I miss her." Wild took his eyes off of the pavement and watched Sky continue. "And I know we saw her a few days ago, but it hurts being away. You know, we're childhood friends and went everywhere together. Have you ever—" He sniffed. "—have you ever felt like you're making people wait longer than you think? That probably doesn't make any sense. I just feel like time is flying too fast and worry that our times will flow differently. It hasn't happened yet, but you know! It could… what if she gets older and I stay the same? What if she's gone before I see her again?"

Wild stopped walking, staring to his left. They were just about to miss the west gates. The bridge was right ahead. "Right, I'm sorry," Sky wiped his eyes, "got a bit carried away." But Wild shook his head no. They left the town and he finally let go.

"How. Long. Did. She. Wait. For. You?"

Sky was surprised but held his composure. "To save her? About a thousand years. But for me, it was a few days total. We had a lot of time travel involved."

"She. Has. A. Lot. Of. Patience."

"Haha! Kind of. She deals with my lazy butt every day."

"Mine. Waited. One. Hundred. Years. For. Me. To. Be.—" _Should I tell him? As long as it's just Sky. I can relate to him. I want him to know._ "Resurrected. We're. Both. Over. A. Hundred. Years. Old."

They were in the middle of the bridge. Sky gawked at him. "Res—resurrected?"

"She. Waited. For. Me. For. A. Hundred. Years. And. Even. Though. She's. A. Stubborn. Impatient. Girl. She. Told. Me. She. Would. Wait. One. Million. Years. More. I'm. Sure. Yours. Is. The. Same. Yours. Reminds. Me. Of. Mine."

Sky looked down into the water. "I, guess you're right. But I miss her so much."

"I. Miss. Mine. Too."

"When you… 'failed' the first time —I'm not saying you did! I only know a bit of your story, but you defeated your evil eventually!" Wild knew where this was going. "When you didn't defeat your Ganon the first time, you didn't _die_ , did you?"

He paused. This was harder than he thought. He believed that, eventually, he'd have to tell them almost everything. But damn it. It's only been a few days. Wild clutches his left abdomen. "I. Didn't. Survive. Those. Guardians. And. The. Master. Sword. Was. Also. Damaged. Badly."

Sky looked behind himself. Fi sat silent. She had nothing to say, but he might pry something out of her about her previous state later. "I'm sorry. For bringing that up, I mean. I won't tell anyone! Uhm…" He studied the lake. "There's Fyer's cannon! Twilight said to swim but I have a sailcloth." He pulled off his white cape to show Wild and to prepare. "Not the best swimmer, even with the water dragon's scale. Do you have anything?"

Wild grinned at his predecessor. He stepped back a few feet, then dove. off the bridge. When Sky looked over, the boy was sailing across the winds with his paraglider. He followed quickly after.

Fyer _did_ look like a sad clown. He ran a funhouse some ways away from the cannon, and only let them use it when they mentioned this time's Link. Of course, they had to pay him. But since they were friends of a friend, they got a discount.

They were stuffed in together. But even though they both experienced the same amount of force, Wild, in all his lightness, flew faster and farther. He was tossed spinning into the air. Unable to scream but sort of enjoying the airtime. Once he recognized the Faron region and soared just over the second tunnel, he reopened his paraglider. Sky screeched on past him.

Wild looked at the area below. It was covered in a black fog. The range of the fog was huge. If this was still part of Twilight's Faron region, it took up the whole lower half. _This Hyrule could probably fit into my central province now that I look at it,_ He thought, _maybe the lake province too._

He was right over a spot where the fog cleared. A small village surrounded by mountains could be seen just up ahead. He dropped down in front of a treehouse where Sky waited for him patiently. 

"Had. Fun?" Wild asked.

"That was absolutely terrifying!" Sky still looked a bit shaky from the blastoff. He leaned against a wall to steady himself. "Of course it was fun! I need to regain the feeling in my knees, but I kinda needed that rush!"

There were two pathways: one right ahead, the other behind them. Wild did wonder what was in the other direction, he did miss what he believed to be a spring. But in front of them was the village.

"How. Long. Do. You. Think. They'll. Take?"

"It depends on where they are, really. It may look big on the outside, but on the inside, it could be really small." Sky rested his hands on his knees, inhaled, then brought himself back up. "Um…" he raised his hands, "Let's. Go?" He signed.

_Is he trying to make me feel better?_ Wild gave Sky a toothy smile. Even his cheeks and eyebrows raised at his first attempt. _Because it's working!_

It wasn't long, though, when Wild was back to worrying about everyone. Rusl spotted them, recognized them, and explained to the villagers that they were friends of Twilight. Sky stood out front to watch for any signs of the dungeon group while Wild made hearty rice balls for them when they came back. He felt like they would sorely need them. Once finished, he placed all the goodies in his slate. The villagers were a little afraid of him. He had strange magic, weird scars, kept his hood up, and wouldn't even talk.

But this little blond boy, probably around Wind's age, walked up to his cooking pot. "Hi, if you're really friends with Link, is he okay?"

Wild's stomach flipped. He wasn't sure. _Steel your nerves, Link, tell him something to calm him down._ He opened his mouth, "I can't say. But he will come back." He couldn't vocalize, so he had to speak as clearly as possible.

"You got a sore throat? We can make something fer you—"

He shook his head. "It won't help. I can't speak. I promise Link will come back. And I will make sure he's fine." _If it's the last thing I do. I can't lose anyone else._

The day went by slowly. The blond boy, Colin, would visit him every once in a while, relaying information Sky told him. It was usually "nothing yet". He let the other villagers know that Wild was just mute, and wouldn't hurt anyone. Some other kids came up to him, asked him about his strange things, and left. A young woman with dirty blond hair had asked him how both Link and Epona were doing. She knew sign language and claimed to be the one to force Link how to learn it too.

'He's been doing fine so far. Because of the fog, we can't let Epona through yet. When they come here, we'll get Epona and 2 more friends of ours.' He gazed on to the village entrance. 'He could be badly hurt right now. Or worse. I hope they come out unscathed, but,' he turned to the girl, 'We realized something dangerous may be where they are.'

"I see," the woman whispered. "Well, knowin' Link, he's got too big a head fer any monster to bite off! My name's Ilia, by the way. If you need anything, go visit my pa, Mayor Bo."

'Actually, Miss Ilia, I'm just about to switch spots with Sky.' Wild stood up and dusted himself off. 'Thank you for being nice to me and letting me use your cooking pot. I'll alert you when they come back.' Ilia let him go.

…

It was getting dark now. About evening again. Instead of the comforting sadness yesterday's dusk brought, a mist of malaise set over the Ordon bridge, where Wild was perched on top of a pole. He held his lantern in his left hand. On the other side of the bridge, the black fog ended. They'd be coming through there.

Swinging the lantern forward and back, Wild thought of what it looked like inside the fog. He stepped off of the bridge… without a thump. He paid no mind to his lack of audible footsteps when he walked across the bridge. Apprehension kicking in, he stuck his left hand in first, then made his way inside. 

He only stood in front of the threshold. The inside was as dark as the outside.

"How much more?" _Twilight_? The walls snaked like a maze. These carvings reminded him of the labyrinths. But the walls were much farther apart.

"I don't know." _Time. He's wheezing._ "Just… keep walking."

"My legs are gonna give out." _Hyrule. Keep going. I'm right here._ "It shot me." _I'll fix the wound, just keep walking._

A whimper. "Shh, shh. I know, Wind. I know it hurts." _Warriors? What's wrong with Wind? Please, be okay._

A light appeared through a hallway on the left. "What."

"I'm done fighting."

"What's that floating light?"

"It's not doing anything."

_They see me. My lantern. Come here. You're at the end._ His lantern flickered.

"It's a poe lantern."

"A poe?"

"Malev—" a thud.

"Hyrule!"

_Bring him here. Bring him here, I'll heal him!_ Wild raised his lantern to see them better. But all he noticed was his arm a glowing, ghostly teal. The lantern flickered steadily. He was too focused on their safety.

"It's saying something."

…

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..—.

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..—.

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—

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…

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..—.

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—

—.——

"Safety." _Warriors, It's me!_ "Safety! We're at the end!"

"Wait, Wars!" _Time, please!_ "Be reasonable. Either you'll show yourself, or—" the eldest huffed. "—or I'll force you out of the darkness myself."

.——

..

.—..

—..

.——

..

.—..

—..

"Wild? Wild!"

"Wars!"

Wild was met with Warrior's once perfectly combed hair now dirty and shaggy. A black eye and burned cheeks and busted lip. In his bloody hands laid Wind who was clutching his side, tunic destroyed and reddened. His eyes were screwed shut, pain written all over his face.

"It's… you… it's your lantern. How…"

"Wars!" _Time, Twilight, take Hyrule and come with me._

"Time, it's him! Come on, let's go."

He heard footsteps run past him, Warriors and Wind left his sight. He stepped outside of the dungeon. The fog dispersed.

Wild caught sight of the pole he… still sat on. Slouched with his hand held out. He stared down at his body. Teal and ghostly, like that of the champions. In a moment of panic, Wild sped to his body, entering hit to forcefully, he knocked himself over. He brought his hands to his face. Calloused, rough, warm. He was alive.

"Wild! It is you!" Time did his best to limp over with a passed out Hyrule on his back. Their appearances terrified him. All of them, bloodied, beaten, maimed. Explosive damage to their armor and bodies, there _were_ guardians. Possibly turrets, possibly skywatchers.

One may think that because Wild was naturally so fragile, he didn't have the strength to carry a man. But no. He hoisted Warriors into his arms and wanted Hyrule placed on his back. Once all three males weighed him down, he sprinted to the village. Twilight and Time were left to limp on behind, but not for long. 

Wild entered the village in a flash, setting his friends down at the cooking pot where Sky was. He had to tend to them for just a second. Warriors caught sight of his flashing lantern again.

…

.—

.—.

Time and Twilight used each other as crutches, arm over arm, shoulder over shoulder. Wild rushed in, grabbed them by the waist, and hauled them to the same spot as the others. The villagers crowded around the group, where Wild shoved the rice balls he made into their faces. He was gasping. Sure he can do a lot, but he had to pray for stamina for a reason. He handed his hearty elixirs to Sky and pointed at Wind, who hadn't opened his eyes and was the most injured.

One potent enduring elixir, speedy elixir, and change in armor set, and Wild bolted for his third run.

…

.—

.—.

"His lantern," Warriors panted, "it's flashing in morse. Is he dead?" Sky stared at him out of his peripheral. He poured the hearty elixir into Wind's mouth and watched as the boy's pain drifted away. "Search and rescue. That's what it just said."

…

Wild's stealth set was a goddess-send. With its night speed boost paired with his elixirs, he made it to the fields in no time. 

Legend was riding Epona wildly. Four was sat behind him. The two weren't too injured, but they were running from stalkers that littered the field and Legend inexperienced. Wild lowered his mask and cupped his hands. His horse whistle was heard by Epona, who galloped over."

"Wild?!" Legend hollered over another blast. The survivalist only pointed at the road.

_Go._

…

.—

—..

…

—.

—..

Legend and Four were gone. He had no puddles to block the entrance. Eight guardian skywatchers. Perfect. They'd destroy anything they saw. Five eyes on him.

He had to get rid of them.

Six eyes on him.

Save Hyrule from the Calamity.

Seven eyes on him.

With no one except himself at his side.

Eight eyes on him.

…

.—

—..

…

.—

—..

…

———

...

_"Urbosa's Fury is ready!"_

_"Daruk's Protection is ready to roll!"_

Or not.

Guardian shield ++ at the ready. Red barrier in position. Savage Lynel Shield extended for a strike. Circumference set.

…

The eight heroes were healed. Either by hearty elixirs or hearty foods. Whatever injuries that couldn't be healed right away were bandaged. Epona was looked after lovingly. But Wind still didn't wake. Not even after that familiar lightning strike.

_FWOOM_

The sky lit up from the electricity. The villagers frightened of the closeness.

"Are we sure he's mute and not deaf?" Legend hummed. He barely had any energy left. 

"That's your friend's doin'?" Ilia asked.

Twilight groaned. "We didn't know we're adoptin' Mother Nature's son when we found 'im." His head lolled back. "He's darn near crazy, and his food's pow'rful 's 'im. Too bad it don't cure headaches though."

No other strikes against the earth. It was an hour before Wild showed his face again. His legs hurt. Face pale. Normal clothes back on. Today took everything out of him. He swayed at the entrance, staggered to the crowd. The only thing holding him up was an ancient spear.

Sky grabbed him by the shoulders and sat him down by the fire. Wild hovered his hand over Wind's nose. _He's breathing. Good._

His lantern's light steadied. His soul felt exhausted. He laid back against a log bench and turned to Sky with a wry smirk. He moved his hood so no one could see except the addressed. No signing. "After one hundred years. I rushed. Myself. I took… one and a half. Months. To help. The princess. Didn't sleep full night. Till after. Calamity." He turned his head skyward and yawned shakily. "Hylia doesn't. Let. Me. Rest enough. Too. Many. Nightmares. Even. Now."

His eyes closed. "Pray. To. The. Goddess. That. I. Have. One. Restful. Night."

...—.—

His breathing was steady. Under painful scars of a long time ago laid a peaceful face. His right hand laid on his sternum, left hand sprawled on the floor. Chest rose and fell.

His lantern glowed warmly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those wondering what the morse code says
> 
> ….—..—..——.—— (safety, longest code)
> 
> .——...—..—.. (Wild)
> 
> ....—.—. (SAR or Search and Rescue)
> 
> ....——.. (SAD or Search and Destroy)
> 
> ...———... (SOS)
> 
> —.—..—.. (the End of Transmission signal)


	6. Wishing to Sing Old Sea Shanties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wild knows of the sage songs conducted by the Hero of Winds, and gets so giddy at the sound of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last few chapters were pretty stressful, so let me give you a bit of fluff.

He used to sing. That was a piece remembered a while ago. Sometime after he picked up the accordion. Kass would teach him to play and he'd mouth the lyrics to songs, even though he couldn't sing anymore. They met one day near Lurelin and played together, only for him to pause and remember.

The Hero of the Winds was but a boy on his adventure. Just a year older than Link when he heard the song. Merchants from a distant land across the seas sang it, and the locals of Lurelin knew it just as well. It was two songs put together, but the name was lost to the distant past. Only the melody was passed on and lyrics were added.

He looked so dour coming in the seaside village, like he didn't know a day of fun in his life. Yet, he was cute for an adolescent wearing the knight's uniform. Eleven years old and stationed far away from home, they taught him the sea shanty as he watched them dance. With his feet square and knight's sword in front of him, he bounced on his soles. When he memorized the lyrics, his heart sang. It wasn't until they brought out instruments that Link threw caution to the wind.

He and his fellow knights danced and sang with the villagers. His icy scowl thawed with each jaunty step. Link opened his mouth and was complimented on his pipes as he performed.

It was one of the best nights of his young life. And when he finally remembered the lyrics, he'd try to sing again. He tried to play it on his accordion, but it never sounded the same. And he was never in Lurelin village long enough to hear at night anymore. Disheartened, he still remembered that night on his happiest trips home. When his heart would burst once more and the excitement escaped to his legs, he'd dance about his house whistling the tune with all the air in his lungs.

He wanted to sing again so badly, and be complimented on his voice. He loved the lyrics to that song.

…

Wild must have spent the entire day asleep. By the warmth of the bed, it seemed someone else did too and just recently woke. The window let in the familiar sadness of twilight. Orange and rustic, that's what this house was. Even though there was no fire burning, it still felt as warm as a cottage in the tundra.

When Wild left the bed, he realized his hair was let down and his cloak was missing. He still had both his slate and lantern on him.  _ After 100 years of slumber, how do I still get exhausted? _

There was a ladder that led down to the main floor. Wild barely looked at his surroundings when he left.

"Oh, yer awake!" Why was he so high up? Is this the tree house he saw? He looked down to see Twilight. "Ev'nen!"

'Good Evening,' he greeted back. He jumped down, it wasn't too far of a drop. 'How long was I asleep?'

"'bout a whole day! You an' Wind. But he jus' got up too, left a bit 'fore you." The rancher patted Wild on the back and tried to urge him to the village. "Ya hungry? Everyone's already got supper, but I know there's a lot left. Fer seconds, thirds even!"

He was about to say yes. But…

_ "Link…" _ That's different. From both the statues and the sword. But it sounded similar. He turned.  _ "Ordon Springs, find me there." _

_ Obliged _ . 'I'll meet you there. Can I explore a bit? Get my hunger really going?'

Twilight stared at him. His eyes bore into him, trying to find an answer to his sudden wanderlust. "Come back safe. Don't stray too far now." With a thumbs up, he was allowed to leave.

The voice beckoned him to a shallow spring supplied by waterfalls. The metal gates were open for him and him only. Wild stepped in and was locked from exiting. He snapped back to the ivy-covered walls but felt no sense of malicious intent behind his capture. Something holy lived here.

Bathed in white light, a spirit appeared on the water. It looked somewhat like a goat whose horns attacked like a halo.  _ "Usually, I'd call the Hero of Twilight here to visit me and speak. He is the only one who can see me anyway." _ It was very informal, unlike a goddess statue or the Master Sword. Wild would put the spirit under the same category as Malanya.  _ "But as someone with ears and eyes for the spiritual, I just had to look at you myself." _

_ What's your name? _

_ "Ah, forgive me for being so rude. My name is Ordona." _ The spirit towered over Wild. It brought its head down to look at his person.  _ "Attached your soul to a lantern, have you? That's new." _

_ I did what? _ He unhooked his lantern. Now that he thought about it, its glow was like a regular flame, but didn't lick and flicker like one.  _ How? _

_ "I've never seen a living poe before. Though, I've never seen someone come back from the dead before either! Hmm, your soul is damaged, heart and mind weighted down? We all face our demons eventually." _

_ We? _

_ "Yes, We! Who do you think saved me from the clutches of Twilight? Why, its very hero, of course. And all of your late friends too, and your friends now. All of them are or were plagued by something that weighs heavy on their soul. You should know that! Still, your death has been made more interesting by this new revelation, don't you think?" _

Wild put the lantern back on his hip.  _ Is it bad? Should I try to fix it? _

_ "Your soul? Well, pain can only be healed in time, dear future hero. I'm sure it's not too bad for you to be a poe as long as your lantern doesn't break. Taking it out of the lantern is a task I don't have the understanding to instruct on. However, I hear you only need a direction to be guided." _

_ As long as it's the right direction. _

_ "Of course, of course. The right direction. Mmh. You may not see one for a long time, but the next time you encounter a goddess statue you should consult with it. Though, within what you know as the Distant Past, there are so few of these. May you be on your way!" _

_ Wait! _ Knocked back by the savor of gourmet meat and buttery dough. The spirit was gone in a flash of light. It had the same energy as a great fairy, but the divinity of the horse god. At least it didn't threaten to eat him… in jest.

He was allowed to leave. Wolfie sat at the exit watching him.  _ If he's going to watch me, he could at least let me pet him a little. _ He ambled to the large wolf and ran his fingers through his strange fur. Instead of biting him like last time, Wolfie just whined. He tried to shake the boy's hand free, tried to push him over again. Wild stood his ground. 

"Don't make me do it!" He threatened. Wolfie huffed at him.  _ Alright you little stalker. _ He grabbed the wolf by the face and kissed the top of his head. He recoiled and gave out a low bark, as if he was screaming. Wild doubled over in laughter.

Wolfie finally showed his true form. Twilight sat in the beast's place rubbing his forehead clean of the smooch. "Yew knew!" He shouted. "I outta beat yer ass! Get over here!" Wild quickly recovered and ran as fast as he could away from his friend. However, Twilight already grappled him by the waist within his first few steps. "Yer a freakin' nuis'nce you know that? Yer not supposed to pet wolves, you ain't supposed to kiss em, an' wha'd you do?! An' yew  _ knew _ it was me too!" 

'I just wanted to mess with you.'

"Just wanted ta piss me off!" He placed the teen under his arm and carried him back to the village, ranting about how his "Wolfie privileges were revoked". _Doesn't seem like he heard our conversation. Good._

Ordon Village was quiet, despite the entire town being out. They noticed Wind, Legend, Sky, and Time standing up. Legend held a recorder, Sky held a harp, Time held an ocarina. Wind raised a white baton. Twilight let Wild down and sat down next to Ilia. The earliest hero raised his fingers to the harp.

The first three notes made Wild gasp. The melody he loved so much was played so beautifully. And conducted by the Hero of Winds himself! Wild wouldn't expect anything less. The Earth God's Lyric was the first half of the song. So soft and graceful, especially on Sky's harp. But it ended as quickly as it started, and the second half began right after.

Legend brought his recorder up to his lips. Wild's wish for him to play the fiddle was quickly thrown away with the jaunty tune. He was practically bouncing to the aged rhythm, but stopped when he saw Warriors watching him. He cooled himself down and waited for Legend to finish the Wind God's Aria.

That was the song, right? Then why was Time standing? The lyrics weren't added until  _ his _ era. Wind held his hands steady.

Warriors sighed from his spot among the crowd. "You sure you don't wanna dance to this?" He asked Four and Hyrule. The two shook their heads.

"I can't even dance! Don't let me embarrass myself. The song is great enough," Hyrule sat in his spot, refusing to be persuaded anymore.

"I'm not a dancer," Four simply explained, "I know you're dying to, but none of us are as move-y as you when it comes to music."

"Both of you were dancing to the music in the square!"

"We were shimmying!"

"Shhhh!" Wind hushed them, baton still raised. He huffed then turned to his trio. Time readied himself.

Four long notes with Sky loosely following along shifted into the first half of the song again, this time with the Old Man in tow. Oh no. Wild was bouncing again. By now the village children have started clapping along with the tune, and it wasn't helping his giddiness. He kept his fingers laced over his chest in an attempt to quell his heart.  _ Don't dance, don't dance. _ One by one the other villagers joined the clapping, and so did the fellow heroes. He wanted to sing so badly. He hoped that if he ever got his voice back he could sing as well as he did back then.

Wild snapped along with the crowd. But his heart was messing with his feet again. His lantern flickered steadily along with the beat. He looked up, but Warriors was no longer present.

Someone wrapped their arm around his. Three skips forward, three skips back. His partner turned around with him as they both repeated the gleeful movement. The captain was by his side, tapping his shoe soles against Wild's. The only guide they had was the beat of the crowd.

How he longed to do this again, to dance with a friend so joyfully. He could burst right now and die, and he'd feel completely ecstatic. The two knights mirrored each other with swift twirls and shoe-bumps, with claps and arm locks. Even their grins were just as wide as one another. Wild felt like he could cry.

The song came to an end. Warriors bowed, and Wild did the same. When they brought themselves back up, Warriors wrapped his arm around the younger's neck. "See that, 'rule?!" He called. "Wild'll dance with me no problem! And he's good at it too!"

Twilight spoke up instead. "He's a wild animal that wouldn't know shame if it hit 'im in the face!"

The captain gasped and covered Wild's ears. "He's a delight!"

'Where is this food you were talking about, Twilight?' Wild could hear his stomach growl. He wiped his eyes, feeling tears on his lashes. 'Or is it all gone now?'

The cook wasn't lying when he told Time he was a glutton. He ate an appetizer, a main course and a half, two slices of pumpkin pie when it was time for dessert, and  _ still _ had five apples afterwards. They offered to give him some sweets for the road, which he happily took. He bought a dozen Ordon pumpkins off of the farmers too. In fact, Wild used the rest of the little daylight to buy whatever he thought he needed.

At the end of the day, the heroes sat around the tree house, where Twilight called his home. The cook let Wind fix his mane into a braided ponytail. He listened wistfully as the youth talked about how much he missed his sister. Warriors and Sky sat on either side of him, both thinking about their interactions with him yesterday. Twilight and Time sat next to each other.

'He does know,' Twilight signed to his mentor.

Time guffawed, thinking about how much Wild was petting Wolfie, knowing all along that it was Twilight. 'So he was playing with you?' Twilight shrugged.

'That's what the bastard told me.'

"Wild," Time called. 'How did you know?'

Wild tapped his slate with a smirk. 'I could have probably pieced it together myself. Your tattoo is a dead giveaway.'

A dark portal opened up next to the group. Twilight lamented about not being able to say goodbye to the village. Legend noted that he put Wild's cloak in his slate, commenting on the amount of jewels he had as well. For a moment the latest hero was worried, but calmed down when the veteran told him he just looked through his materials.

Wild could think while they were being jolted around in the portal.

_ Guardians are a threat again. Zelda, I wish I was with you to help. I worry for you and for home. But I know that you're strong and that you can do anything you wish. I pray for my safe return, and for a sound welcome. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your kind words! I love you all, but I need to think about the next work. It'll probably take some time.

**Author's Note:**

> Grammarly is my lord and savior.


End file.
